Is a roadster a thing?
11-04-20, 05:10 AM
#26
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85 Pinarello Treviso with full Campa. In Brooklyn. Is that hipster enough?
11-04-20, 06:35 AM
#27
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I definitely think of beach cruisers and balloon bikes as being synonymous with Roadster.
probably just goofy Brit GCN presenters being goofy.
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11-04-20, 09:26 AM
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Roadsters are heavy 28" wheel STEEL bikes without defaileurs. Case closed.
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11-04-20, 09:46 AM
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11-04-20, 01:09 PM
#34
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11-04-20, 03:43 PM
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11-04-20, 05:39 PM
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My "Roadster"
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11-05-20, 07:40 PM
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11-05-20, 07:48 PM
#42
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I ordered some custom bars for my Omnium. I ordered them in 800mm (because I wanted to try that width as I had read that it was "great"). They turned out to be way too wide for my comfort, so I cut them down to 703mm.
Then a month or two later, I realised that for two-wheeled bicycles here in Denmark, the maximum legal width is 700mm. However, I doubt any cop have ever stopped anyone on a bicycle with too wide bars, unless it was some clown bike that was impossible to steer.
Then a month or two later, I realised that for two-wheeled bicycles here in Denmark, the maximum legal width is 700mm. However, I doubt any cop have ever stopped anyone on a bicycle with too wide bars, unless it was some clown bike that was impossible to steer.
11-05-20, 10:11 PM
#43
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To me, roadster are practical transportation bicycles.
They are more rugged than a road bike...much heavier and sturdier to survive being abused by pot holes and public bike racks.
Sort of like the modern "urban commuter" class of bikes... with the fenders and racks and relaxed Northroad handlebars. And has strong, flexy frame that act like suspension for gravel/dirt roads.
They are more rugged than a road bike...much heavier and sturdier to survive being abused by pot holes and public bike racks.
Sort of like the modern "urban commuter" class of bikes... with the fenders and racks and relaxed Northroad handlebars. And has strong, flexy frame that act like suspension for gravel/dirt roads.
Last edited by mtb_addict; 11-06-20 at 09:12 AM.
11-05-20, 11:52 PM
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Actually, they were killed off by weight weenie 10 speeds, then MTBs. Hills became sooo hard. LOL
11-07-20, 01:43 PM
#45
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"Is a roadster a thing?"
Columbia Light Roadster:
Columbia Light Roadster:
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11-09-20, 01:53 PM
#46
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https://community.raleighusa.com/abo...eigh-roadsters
Roadsters were the old-fashioned style of bicycle popular in the countryside. They usually had635 mm (28 x 1 1/2) wheels with westwood rims, long cranks and long wheel bases, and very shallow frame angles (68 degrees or less.) Roadsters used "roller-lever" brakes operated by rods, instead of cables. The typical roadster would also be equipped with a "gear case", a chainguard that completely enclosed the chain.
Roadsters were built for durability above all else, and were intended to be able to cope with dirt roads, cobblestones and unpaved footpaths, with a bare minimum of maintenance. No serious attempt was made to save weight in their design or construction. They are often pictured as the mounts of policemen and rural letter carriers.
Roadsters have never been truly popular in the United States, but they are not truly rare, either. Most roadsters that were imported to the U.S. do not have the gear case, because U.S. customs regulations placed a higher duty on bicycles weighing more than 40 lbs.
In this brochure, the roadster is the DL-1 on the right. Note the front forks. They give a Cadillac ride over rough roads and cobblestones. The DL-24 forks have less horizontal extension, thus they feel "sportier". Because of the sports image (the English 3-speed racer was a common US description even though they were not racing bikes), customers who would have been happier with a roadster would buy the sports bike. Roadsters were tools not toys. They served a purpose in a time when cars and petrol/gasoline was out of reach of the average citizen, and at a time when one lived near the shops, pubs and ones job. Today, the bicycle industry is trend-driven not knowledge-driven. Accordingly, the factories, mostly in the orient, manufacture to the latest trend.
In the 1960's, Americans rode Schwinn bikes featured in magazines like Boys Life, where the bike under the Christmas Tree was a Norman Rockwell archetype. The exotic was an English 3-speed racer, mostly Raleigh that had a smaller following thanks to WW-2, when GIs rode them in England. They tended to be found on the East Coast and big cities like Chicago.
Then came the 10-speed racer of the Tour de France and a new trend. Gradually, the industry started churning out 10-speeds that were ridden by teens who rarely used all ten gear combinations. Marketing also picked up on a pre-teen obsession with chopper motorcycles - as in the 1969 film Easy Rider - producing chopper bicycles that were made cooler by playing cards that flapped in the spokes. Schwinn introduced the Sting Ray and Raleigh the Chopper.
The next trend were mountain bikes were originally heavy steel cruiser road bikes that Californians converted to crashing down mountains sport. They had to be strong to not break. They then started making purpose-built (think Gary Fisher) MTBs and a new genre of bike became a trend. For liability reasons, the industry called them hybrid because they look like a MTB but would break if used in MTB conditions. Once again, image over function as the handlebars are not ergonomic for street use (look at how your hands hold on the bars... the natural position is the same as shaking hands - thumb up; the flat bar requires more strain - thumb down which is necessary to keep going straight when the front wheel strikes a large rock or hole at speed).
So now the marketing types have come up with a new name - roadster to suggest the bike is designed to be ridden on roads. In fact, most people ride bikes on paved roads, although the gravel road or trail is becoming popular as riders find it is more enjoyable to not be on a road with trucks roaring by... in many cases on ex-railroads where the tracks are ripped up and gravel laid down.
Eventually, bike companies may figure out that steel with the right geometry produces a very comfortable ride, but it is unlikely. The problem with the 1950's roadster is they don't wear out. They get dumped because the rust in the shed, unused, but those who keep them up find they just keep going. Modern upgrades are easy - Shimano roller brakes, respoke a new hub with a hub dynamo for always on lighting, modern aluminum handlebar, but never get rid of the Brooks saddle, it is the ultimate in comfort once it is broken in.
So, if you want a roadster, go to Raleigh Denmark, where thanks to licensing, they still make the DL-1 https://www.raleigh.dk/. Then before bringing home, ride it on the thousands of kilometres of European cycle trails - paved, no cars, mostly flat, and bike-friendly hotels and restaurants along the routes.
Roadsters were the old-fashioned style of bicycle popular in the countryside. They usually had635 mm (28 x 1 1/2) wheels with westwood rims, long cranks and long wheel bases, and very shallow frame angles (68 degrees or less.) Roadsters used "roller-lever" brakes operated by rods, instead of cables. The typical roadster would also be equipped with a "gear case", a chainguard that completely enclosed the chain.
Roadsters were built for durability above all else, and were intended to be able to cope with dirt roads, cobblestones and unpaved footpaths, with a bare minimum of maintenance. No serious attempt was made to save weight in their design or construction. They are often pictured as the mounts of policemen and rural letter carriers.
Roadsters have never been truly popular in the United States, but they are not truly rare, either. Most roadsters that were imported to the U.S. do not have the gear case, because U.S. customs regulations placed a higher duty on bicycles weighing more than 40 lbs.
In this brochure, the roadster is the DL-1 on the right. Note the front forks. They give a Cadillac ride over rough roads and cobblestones. The DL-24 forks have less horizontal extension, thus they feel "sportier". Because of the sports image (the English 3-speed racer was a common US description even though they were not racing bikes), customers who would have been happier with a roadster would buy the sports bike. Roadsters were tools not toys. They served a purpose in a time when cars and petrol/gasoline was out of reach of the average citizen, and at a time when one lived near the shops, pubs and ones job. Today, the bicycle industry is trend-driven not knowledge-driven. Accordingly, the factories, mostly in the orient, manufacture to the latest trend.
In the 1960's, Americans rode Schwinn bikes featured in magazines like Boys Life, where the bike under the Christmas Tree was a Norman Rockwell archetype. The exotic was an English 3-speed racer, mostly Raleigh that had a smaller following thanks to WW-2, when GIs rode them in England. They tended to be found on the East Coast and big cities like Chicago.
Then came the 10-speed racer of the Tour de France and a new trend. Gradually, the industry started churning out 10-speeds that were ridden by teens who rarely used all ten gear combinations. Marketing also picked up on a pre-teen obsession with chopper motorcycles - as in the 1969 film Easy Rider - producing chopper bicycles that were made cooler by playing cards that flapped in the spokes. Schwinn introduced the Sting Ray and Raleigh the Chopper.
The next trend were mountain bikes were originally heavy steel cruiser road bikes that Californians converted to crashing down mountains sport. They had to be strong to not break. They then started making purpose-built (think Gary Fisher) MTBs and a new genre of bike became a trend. For liability reasons, the industry called them hybrid because they look like a MTB but would break if used in MTB conditions. Once again, image over function as the handlebars are not ergonomic for street use (look at how your hands hold on the bars... the natural position is the same as shaking hands - thumb up; the flat bar requires more strain - thumb down which is necessary to keep going straight when the front wheel strikes a large rock or hole at speed).
So now the marketing types have come up with a new name - roadster to suggest the bike is designed to be ridden on roads. In fact, most people ride bikes on paved roads, although the gravel road or trail is becoming popular as riders find it is more enjoyable to not be on a road with trucks roaring by... in many cases on ex-railroads where the tracks are ripped up and gravel laid down.
Eventually, bike companies may figure out that steel with the right geometry produces a very comfortable ride, but it is unlikely. The problem with the 1950's roadster is they don't wear out. They get dumped because the rust in the shed, unused, but those who keep them up find they just keep going. Modern upgrades are easy - Shimano roller brakes, respoke a new hub with a hub dynamo for always on lighting, modern aluminum handlebar, but never get rid of the Brooks saddle, it is the ultimate in comfort once it is broken in.
So, if you want a roadster, go to Raleigh Denmark, where thanks to licensing, they still make the DL-1 https://www.raleigh.dk/. Then before bringing home, ride it on the thousands of kilometres of European cycle trails - paved, no cars, mostly flat, and bike-friendly hotels and restaurants along the routes.
11-09-20, 02:01 PM
#47
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Now that you mention that, I do still see a lot of those bikes around. I didn't know you could still buy them new here.
11-09-20, 04:48 PM
#48
Full Member
I was recently running through some episodes of The GCN Show and one of the more recent ones they were talking about the EF Pro x Palace Cannondales that EF Pro are riding, and they mentioned the mechanic got one as well. They showed a picture of a virtually identical bike but with what looked to be MTB flat bars on it and it sounded like they referred to it as a roadster. Is that a thing or did I mishear?
11-09-20, 05:05 PM
#49
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Seems like the traditional roadster must be a rare item in the UK these days if they are starting to call modern road bikes with a flat bar a roadster.
11-09-20, 05:18 PM
#50
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flat bars on road bikes seems to be a very in thing these days. To isolate them from real road bikes they call them "roadsters" which is a little uneducated since a roadster is a two seater sporty appearance car. A duce coup was a roadster. Bentley made these absolutely horrendous things that were half a block long, had a straight 8 in them and two seats and called them a roadster.
